PGIMER's Dr Parth Lal wins paediatric neurology trainee award in Montreal

Dr Parth Lal, a DM trainee in paediatric neurology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has received the 2025 paediatric neurology trainee award. According to ThePrint, which carried a report from the PTI news agency, he is the first Indian to receive the award. The Tribune's headline likewise describes him as the first Indian to win it.

The award was presented on Friday at the 2026 Child Neurology Society meeting in Montreal, Canada, the institute said.

The research behind the award

Dr Lal was recognised for his work on the NitRIS trial, which has been published in the journal Pediatric Neurology. According to the institute, the trial provided proof-of-concept evidence for the potential effectiveness of nitrazepam in children with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS).

The institute describes IESS as a challenging form of epilepsy in infancy that can be difficult to treat. The award, as reported, recognises the research on a potential treatment for the condition. The findings are described as proof-of-concept evidence of potential effectiveness, not as an established result.

An earlier international honour

This is not the first international recognition for the young doctor in recent months. In December 2025, Dr Lal received the Suzanne and Peter Berry International Travel Award from the American Epilepsy Society.

According to the institute's statement, he was one of only two young investigators worldwide to be selected for that award. The selection was made from 1,500 international submissions.

About Dr Parth Lal

Dr Lal is currently a DM trainee in paediatric neurology at PGIMER, Chandigarh. The DM is a super-specialty training programme, and he is still in training. The reports describe the honours he has received so far as recognition of his research during that training.

The two recognitions mentioned in the reports are:

• The 2025 paediatric neurology trainee award, presented at the 2026 Child Neurology Society meeting in Montreal, Canada.
• The Suzanne and Peter Berry International Travel Award from the American Epilepsy Society, received in December 2025.

Both recognitions are linked to research on infantile epileptic spasms syndrome. The NitRIS trial, published in Pediatric Neurology, is the study named in the reports as the basis for the paediatric neurology trainee award.

Written by the TDi Newsdesk from the reporting listed above; we link to every source and do not reproduce it. Reporting a doctor’s achievement is not a recommendation or an endorsement of their treatment. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it on this page with a dated note. Read our newsroom standards.